Cassie

Chapter 1: Austin

The coffin closed with a loud, thunderous sound that left a ringing in my ear. It made me jump, my heart stopping. I swallowed, knowing I'd never see her face again. I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from crying. I let a moment wash over me, trying to imagine calmness enveloping me. I rubbed at my eyes, and began to move. I shuffled out of the room slowly, my hands shoved in my trouser pockets. I hunched over, keeping my head down. I paused for a moment as I walked along, gazing at the coffin. Its smooth, wooden lid had a gleam to it, the lights above reflected on its surface. I lingered for a while longer, standing there, lost in thought as I stared at the brown box, as if my mind was still processing everything that had happened.

It was dark out. I could see stars in the distance through the large stain-glass windows in the room. With the tinted glass, everything seemed so colorful, the sky taking on a variety of colors, the usually monotonous dark blue transformed into a colored palette. The choice of windows seemed rather ironic. A dull scene was changed into something cheerful and hued. Funerals often showed the darker side to life, the dull and dreary landscape behind the stain-glass windows. Instead, the funeral home had taken the liberty of attempting to bring something vibrant to a depressing moment. Places like that were meant for mourning a loss and accepting the bitter sorrow of life, embracing that life wasn't beautiful, but flawed. A place where you came to the realization that your life will be changed forever, where you realized how unfair everything was, where your picturesque delusion of what life is was disrupted and distorted. Perhaps it was a pessimistic view of mine, but a valid perspective none the less.

Two people shuffled in, a woman and a man. The man hid his face behind a navy blue baseball cap. He wore a baggy grey hoodie and distressed jeans. The woman was dressed much more nicely, wearing a plum colored jacket and matching dress pants. She walked with great confidence and pride. When she noticed me, she softened. She gave me a sad, sympathetic smile, her baby brown eyes looking at me with a great pity. The man stiffened and avoided all eye contact with me. I hunched my shoulders up farther and dragged myself out the door, my heart feeling like it was being pulled away from me. I sighed as the cold wind hit my face, causing my eyes to dry and my body to shiver. Sitting on the curb was a pair, a scrawny guy in a ratty brown suit, which matched the color of his hair, and a tall Asian lady in a long, clover-colored dress. The woman, her black hair falling out of its messy bun, stood up and walked towards me, stumbling slightly as she tried to keep her balance in heels. She gave me a hug from the side, pressing up against one of my arms and wrapping her arms around the other. I stayed still, staring straight ahead as if in a daze. She released me and stepped back, studying my face with an unreadable expression. The man got up as well, striding towards Liz and I.

"Hey man, you...okay?" He asked, awkwardly stumbling over his words. Liz furrowed her eyebrows and glared at him. He scratched at the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable in the situation. He tried to give me a comforting smile, but he could barely raise the corners of his lips. He looked like he was in pain, as if he had been slugged in the stomach. He closed his eyes for a moment. I saw a single tear roll down his cheek, leaving a streak down his face. He didn't move to wipe it away, but simply opened his eyes and stared off into the distance. We were all silent. Crickets chirped in the distance. It was the only thing I could hear, aside from a few cars occasionally passing by. The three of us stayed there for a couple of minute before Liz began to move.

"C'mon," She said. It was more of a command than anything else. Her voice had a somber quality to it, but she still retained her usual sharp, authoritative tone. I followed her as we crossed the parking lot to Matthew's car. When I glanced over my shoulder, I saw that Matt was still standing near the curb, completely still. Before I could say anything, Liz saw him and stalked over to him, stomping on the ground with her heels. "Matthew. Let's go," She said through gritted teeth, obviously on the edge. Matt sighed, and reluctantly shuffled over to the car, keeping his head down. He unlocked his car doors and climbed into the driver's seat. Liz took the passenger side, grumbling under her breath about how small the seats were for her. I sat in the back, staring out a window as Matt began to pull out of the empty parking lot.